California HOA vs. Cheap Blue Panels - Solar Snobbery
Sure, homeowner's associations can be a good vehicle for enforcing neatness and keeping property values up -- in theory anyway. You won't find me paying a group of amateur lawn police a monthly fee to tell me what color solar panels I can put up on my own house. No thanks. That's what happened to three homeowners in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, when the HOA's illustrious Art Jury (no joke) denied their plans to put up photovoltaic solar panels based on their appearance. The US-made panels cost 30% less than the dark black panels preferred by the HOA, but they have a dreadful blue tint. Oh no! How will they possible match the neighborhood's uniform appearance?
Fighting back against the HOA, residents went to City Hall, to see if any of its occupants had a lick of common sense. Surprisingly enough, they did. Citing California's 1978 Solar Rights Act, the City of Palos Verdes declared a city override of the Art Jury's ruling. Oddly enough, it was the same Solar Rights Act that allowed one neighbor to force another to chop down his 10 year old redwoods because they were blocking his rays.
[via Treehugger]
Comments [1]
Does Humane Veal Exist?
Eco-Friendly Halloween Costumes
Ed Begley, Jr. Talks to GreenDaily About Going Green for Cheap
